This World is too Cruel to Men

The first thing that caught my eye was the platinum chain, scattering light like stardust.

And at the end of it, dangling delicately, Yun-Seo thought, “It’s beautiful.”

‘I wonder what that round, transparent thing is.’

The thought didn’t last long.

From the open lid of the box, a small card, presumably written by the ajumma, tumbled out.

And written inside the card was—

‘-Yun-Seo! Thank you for being friends with my Dokgun! Please continue to take good care of him! The necklace is a gift from me, so don’t refuse it and wear it well.’

It was a message from ajumma.

My gaze was fixed on the phrase, “Please continue to take good care of him,” when Dokgun’s voice reached me, having already finished reading the letter.

“What’s that, a necklace?”

Hearing his voice ring in my ears made me strangely embarrassed.

That was why I hurriedly shoved the card into my pocket.

It earned me a puzzled look from Dokgun, but… it was definitely better than holding it.

“Ugh… the best graduation gifts are electronics… and you’re obsessed with weird stuff again.”

“What are you talking about… It’s pretty.”

“Well… it is pretty. It is. But you don’t usually wear necklaces.”

Listening to him imply that a pretty necklace was pointless made a rebellious feeling prickle inside me.

My lips pouted in response.

Then, in a nonchalant voice, he said,

“…If you like it, why don’t you try it on now?”

“Huh?”

Honestly, I was a little flustered.

Perhaps because of that, I could feel my heart pounding.

I hoped Dokgun, standing right next to me, couldn’t hear it as I carefully picked up the necklace nestled inside the luxurious box.

The necklace changed the moment my hand touched it.

“Ah…!”

A blue light bloomed within the transparent, round gem.

An alluring blue, reminiscent of the deep sea, captivating the beholder.

Perhaps I wasn’t the only one surprised by the sudden change.

Glancing at Dokgun, I saw him staring at the necklace with wide, surprised eyes.

“What? The color changed all of a sudden?”

“Y-Yeah…”

I’d never heard of a gem that could do this.

Was it perhaps very expensive?

It was possible.

Thinking back, Ajumma always had a… secretive air about her.

Perhaps because I was preoccupied with the thought that it might be expensive, my hand holding the necklace felt weak.

I fumbled, unable to do what I intended, and a chiding voice came from beside me.

“What are you doing?”

“Well, what if I lose it while wearing it?”

“Are you just going to keep it in the box? I don’t think that’s why she gave it to you…”

And following those words came… unexpected luck.

“If you can’t do it yourself, give it here. I’ll put it on for you.”

“Huh?”

Honestly, I thought I’d misheard him for a second.

It was such an unexpected offer.

I was momentarily speechless, but then I realized I didn’t need to refuse.

“Or, you know, you could try doing it yourself.”

“N-No… um… could you please help me?”

“Sure.”

A hand reached out from beyond my vision and took the necklace from the box.

A faint rattling sound followed.

Was he undoing the clasp?

“Hmm… this clasp is a bit fiddly… Ah, got it.”

“…”

“Hey.”

“H-Huh?”

“Your neck. Your neck.”

What about my neck?

My mind went blank from the sudden tension.

“Your hair. Move it, please?”

“…Oh.”

So that’s what he meant.

I immediately moved my hand to sweep the hair away from the back of my neck.

I moved it in a hurry, and once I did… I suddenly felt strange.

How could I describe this feeling?

This strange tension made my heart pound, and all my senses felt incredibly sharp.

What was this feeling?

I didn’t know.

Not knowing made me feel flustered.

The most disconcerting thing was… the tingling, prickly sensation at the back of my neck.

What was this feeling?

It was impossible, yet I felt Dokgun’s gaze fixed on the back of my neck with unnerving clarity.

Even though I knew gazes couldn’t have a physical presence, I felt it.

‘…Strange.’

The already heightened senses in that area became even more acute.

No, it went beyond acute; it was sensitive.

And I could feel Dokgun’s touch approaching that sensitive spot.

It tickled.

That was the first sensation.

But it wasn’t just any tickle.

The tiny hairs on my neck stood on end, and a tension that made my body rigid bloomed where his fingers touched, spreading throughout me in an instant.

I couldn’t believe that such an intense sensation originated from a mere tickle. My tense body flinched involuntarily.

As I flinched, Dokgun’s hand touched me again.

This time, his touch was slightly… trembling. That tremor, spreading through the point of contact, made me realize.

‘…Ah.’

He’s… nervous too. I’m not the only one.

But that realization didn’t ease my tension at all.

Instead, a different kind of tension began to build…

‘Hoo…’

I came to my senses and found myself taking a deep breath.

While Yun-Seo was nervously taking deep breaths, Dokgun was doing the same, but for a different reason.

‘Damn it…’

This is strangely difficult.

This needlessly complicated clasp…

Actually, it wasn’t the clasp; he was just a little nervous, but Dokgun didn’t realize it.

Even if he did, he probably wouldn’t admit it.

Anyway, as he fumbled with the clasp, a clear ‘click’ sounded between his fingers.

“…Done!”

Honestly, it was needlessly tiny and fiddly.

Why not make it bigger so it’s easier to fasten and unfasten?

“Is it… done?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Want to check?”

As soon as he said that, Yun-Seo pulled out her phone, switched to selfie mode, and started checking herself out. Watching her from the side made me feel… strange…

“Wow… it’s beautiful…”

“Are you a narcissist? Admiring your own face?”

My voice came out sharper than I intended.

“What are you talking about? I’m talking about the necklace!”

Well, she was just as bad.

“Of course you are.”

“It looks expensive… I wonder if I should accept this…”

“Well, you know, once it’s worn, it’s non-refundable. So just wear it.”

A sharp glare shot my way, so I quickly turned my head and pretended to focus on my own box.

“I wonder if mine is a necklace too?”

Logically, hers was a necklace, so mine wouldn’t suddenly be a ring or something, but knowing Mom, I couldn’t be sure.

She was famously eccentric.

So, with some trepidation, I opened the box… Perhaps I should be relieved, but what emerged was something identical to the one Yun-Seo was wearing.

Yes, literally ‘identical.’

The thickness of the chain, the round, sparkling gem at the end… it was as if they were made in the same factory.

The only difference was that hers was blue, and mine was colorless.

Wondering if mine would also change color when touched, I carefully poked it…

“…Nothing?”

It didn’t change.

Thinking maybe mine was the non-color-changing type, I handed it to Yun-Seo, and then it turned blue.

“What, is it discriminating against people or something?”

When I took the now-blue gem back, it turned colorless again.

Seeing that made me grumble.

Still, it was fascinating that it changed color depending on the person, so I experimented a little and discovered something…

“They stick together when you bring them close.”

“So they do…”

And once they stuck, they wouldn’t come apart easily, so we had quite a bit of trouble separating them.

It felt like those magnetic cicada toys that were popular when we were kids in our past lives.

The only difference was the lack of clicking sounds, but the feeling of them clinging together was the same.

“I wonder if it’ll change to a different color if someone else touches it.”

“I don’t know… Maybe?”

“This is really strange… I’ve never heard of a gem like this… Where did she even get this?”

“I know, right?”

“I wonder how it works.”

“Hey, but…”

“Yeah?”

“Aren’t we supposed to be going to school?”

“…Oh.”